Introducing The Swatch Flymagic

It's not too often that we get something entirely new from Swatch. Today, however, the company is launching the Swatch Flymagic, a new collection of proudly mechanical watches that feature anti-magnetic Nivachron hairsprings. The foundation of the Flymagic is the Sistem51 movement. For these watches, Swatch has reversed the caliber, setting it in the 45mm case with the mechanics facing the viewer, and added 15 components to make it function properly in this orientation. One of the side effects of this is that the running seconds actually run backwards, something Swatch is embracing as part of the collection's idiosyncratic personality. You'll also notice that the transparent winding rotor is mounted over the hands too, spinning just under the sapphire crystal to keep the caliber going. That caliber looks much more mechanically complex than it is, offering a lot of visual interest that could easily help draw someone to the world of mechanical watches for the first time.

Another key here is the use of the Nivachron hairspring, which is made of a titanium-based alloy that is resistant to magnetism, shocks, aging, and temperature variation, providing better performance over time. It's sort of buried in the press release for Flymagic, but Swatch has committed to put Nivachron hairsprings in all future Sistem51 models too (something noted by Joe here too). There are five patents currently pending on the Flymagic watches, though Swatch is not saying specifically what they are.

At launch, there are three Flymagic models, two in stainless steel and one in stainless steel with a red gold PVD coating, and each comes with a rubber strap and two calf leather straps. Each is limited to 500 numbered pieces (the number is on the ring at the center of the dial, supporting the winding rotor), and prices start at $1,500.

Initial Thoughts

Stylistically, the Flymagic is a big departure from the Sistem51. While the latter has tended to emphasize playful riffs on classic watchmaking tropes and bright colors, while keeping the decorated movements visible only through transparent casebacks, the Flymagic is much more aggressive, with a futuristic case and a totally open dial that shows off the caliber's key components front and center. Despite being built on the same fundamental technology, Flymagic is definitely its own collection with its own personality.

This isn't the first watch the Swatch Group built off the Sistem51 platform either. In addition to the Sistem51 and Sistem51 Irony models, we've also got the Tissot Swissmatic collection, which uses a caliber built on the same basic technology and processes as that of the Sistem51, albeit for use in more traditional watches. It's interesting to see Swatch continuing to push on this front, incorporating a proprietary, anti-magnetic hairspring and styling the watch to place even greater emphasis on the movement. As we see the interest in mechanical watches continue to grow, it looks like Swatch plans to be there to serve new and different customers by offering watches with interesting technology at a variety of price points and in a variety of styles. If the Flymagic is any indication of what's to come, it looks like we're in for some very interesting times ahead.